Anima Gang Wars
by leopardspotz17
Summary: 15 year old Angela never thought Anima existed, until she became one herself. She finds herself involved in a war between two Chicago Anima gangs. Who will win? Who will lose? Well it all depends on how you look at it. Complete.
1. Chapter 1, 2 and 3

Hi! This is my first fan fiction and my first attempt at creative writing so I hope everyone likes it! Also if you see anything in my story that needs to be fixed please say so (and no typos don't count). Also my chapters are pretty short but I'll upload more than one at a time.

~Leopardspotz17

Disclaimer – I don't own +Anima but I wish I did!

Intro - My name is Angela. I live in Illinois in the rich suburbs outside of Chicago. My life as a normal 15 year-old was flipped by a series of surprising events. This is my story.

Chapter 1 (The Beginning)

My life took a drastic turn the day of the big homecoming game at school. This was the biggest school event of the year and all of the school would show up on Saturday to cheer on the football team. I never liked football. I cringed every time someone was tackled. But I would go for all the celebrations and hang with my friends. No way I'd be the only one to not show up to the game either. I was sitting in the bleachers next to my best friend Amber. She was as bubbly as always, babbling on about this cute guy or the new hot guitarist of a band. I was watching the players down on the field. Then next thing I saw in slow motion. A small child, the daughter of the football coach, had dropped a ball, which had rolled, onto the field. She started toddling toward it just as one of the giant football players were running toward her at full speed. I knew that once he saw her it would be too late for him to stop. She would be trampled. I felt myself getting up, although what happened next was a blur. First I was on the bleachers, and then suddenly I was leaping at the girl and curling around her to protect her from the oncoming boy who could have run her right over. I stuck my hand out to deflect the inevitable blow. The kid crashed into my hand and went flying. Everything went silent. I uncurled myself around the toddler in my arms. At least I had though they were arms. My once light brown skin was now covered in white soft fur with spots dotting the surface, and my slender fingers had morphed into wickedly sharp claws. I was still on two legs but from my thigh down was covered in the same fur and at my toes were more deadly claws. I heard a frightened shriek and all hell broke lose. The coach sprinted towards his daughter and snatched her up and ran in the opposite direction. The crowds of students, parents, and staff all ran screaming toward the parking lot. I felt tears running down my face and my vision blurred. I saw a single silhouette in the bleachers. Frightened and confused, I ran into the forest.

Chapter 2 (Realization)

I stumbled through the dense foliage, blinded by my tears. I sat down on a log and tried to figure out what was going on. I stopped the flow of tears and forced myself to think logically. I am a normal girl. I'm just a normal girl who's having a dream. I thought about pinching myself but after examining my claws I thought better of it. I looked hopelessly around for a sign of what to do. Suddenly I heard a rustling behind me. I jumped and whirled around and a feral snarl slipped past my lips. Landing on the ground a yard away from me was a giant bird. No, wait. It looked like an angel. Now I felt bad that I hadn't gone to church since last Easter. The bird-person-angel-like figure turned its head up to face me and I saw jet black eyes. I jumped back and I tensed, ready to run. "Hold on! Don't start running again!" I knew that voice. I'd heard it babbling on for 3 years of my life. I looked again at the figure and barely recognized it as Amber. But Amber didn't have wings. Or a beak. And definitely not those eyes. I could only manage a "Whaaa…" "You didn't realize how fast you were going! You really wore me out when I tried to follow you." She remarked, panting. I regained my speech and said somewhat irritated, "What the hell is going on?!" Now that the shock had worn off, I was so pissed. "Hold on now, Put those claws in a safer direction." she said. I hissed. "How can I?! I barely know how I got these and for all I know I'm stuck like this!" "Ok, ok, ok… oh and by the way my day was lovely, thanks for asking." "AMBER!" "Fine! Ok, basically you turned into a cat." "Really? You don't say. I really didn't notice." I replied, sarcasm dripping off my words. Ignoring me, Amber said, "There are people like me and you who can turn into animals at will. We are known as +Anima." The name rung a bell. Now where have I heard that before? Suddenly I realized. I fell laughing. I stood again and said, "+Anima? Isn't that a manga series?! Ha!" Amber looked at me more seriously than I had ever seen her. "You're kidding." I said, "So you're telling me that '+Anima' are real?" This was like trying to believe that fairies existed or that my dog was actually a unicorn in disguise. "If you don't believe me, look at yourself," Amber said, pointing to a small pond a couple feet away. I walked over hesitantly. I took a deep breath and bent to look at my reflection.

Chapter 3 (New Life)

I gasped. The first thing I noticed were the eyes staring back at me. They were not my dark brown eyes. No, these were ice blue cat eyes. The next thing I noticed was my elongated nose and mouth that formed a muzzle. My nose was now pink and I had whiskers. My eyes traveled up the reflection and I saw my ears. They were pointed and triangular, covered in more of the same white fur. Same with the rest of my face I realized. My dark brown hair was the only part of my head that hadn't changed. I gave an experimental smile, trying to make the cat girl staring back at me less frightening. It didn't work. Once I opened my mouth, fangs glistened back at me. I stood back to look at Amber. She was back in the form I had known for the past 3 years. I gave her a confused look and she said "What? Ohhhhhh… You want to know how to change back don't you?" she said. "You think?" I retorted. I was burning to see my old self to know that my world hadn't quite gone upside-down. "Well, you don't want to do it yet! You haven't even tried out your new senses!" I stared again, puzzled. "Ok, you've got to know that your new eyes are good for something!" she said. I understood. In my human form, I was near-sighted. I hadn't noticed before, but I could see a single leaf on an oak tree a mile away. I sniffed experimentally. The force of new knowledge nearly knocked me over. The scents of different animals from the past month flooded through my nose. I resisted the overwhelming urge to drop to all fours and run in the direction of a buck that had passed about an hour ago. The next test was my ears. My right one twitched and swiveled in the direction of a squirrel dashing up a tree and then toward a rustle in a bush. I could hear, smell, and see absolutely everything. This was a whole new world. A new life. I dropped to all fours and attempted a run towards a tree. In a flash I was there, making as much sound as a shadow. I didn't stop there. I jumped onto the trunk and easily scaled the surface until I was sitting aloft on a branch. "Hey!" I heard a faint voice shout. I looked down to Amber who was waving. "Come back down here before you start chasing mice and what not!" I laughed and thought that this new life wouldn't be so bad.


	2. Chapter 4 The Others

Second update! I'll only post chapter four this time because it and chapter five are pretty long (by my standards). Also I don't really split things into paragraphs so I didn't want it to be hard to read.

~Leopardspotz17

Disclaimer – Don't own +Anima.

Chapter 4 (The Others)

I jumped the 15 feet down from the branch to the ground. "Now you're just showing off," she said, smiling. I smiled back and said, "Ok how do I turn back?" "It's simple, really," she said, "All you have to do is relax. Take deep breaths. Go to a happy place. All that stuff." I closed my eyes and breathed in slowly. I thought about lying in a field with no worries. I felt a strange sensation on my arms. I opened my eyes and the fur on my arms, legs, and face was fading. I saw my eyesight weakening and my sense of smell and my hearing dulling. The world was getting dimmer, and suddenly it was dark. I looked for the sun, which was absent from the sky. "What happened to all the light?" I asked. "Amber laughed. It's been getting dark for a while now, silly. It was sunset when you ran from the field. Remember the game was nearly over when that toddler ran out onto the field." "Cool," I replied "What's so cool about this?! We're in the middle of a forest with no light whatsoever!" she said. "I've got night vision though." I said, "You are so immature." She replied, rolling her eyes, "Follow me" "Ok," I said and I morphed back into my cat form. The transition was much easier the second time. I welcomed back my sharpened senses. "By the way," I said to Amber, "What +Anima are you?" "I'm a mockingbird," she replied. I thought of the happy singing birds that were always darting from branch to branch. I smiled and said under my breath, "You don't know how much sense that makes." I ran up to follow her on four legs. Now that I knew I could change back into myself at any moment I could get used to being a cat. That reminded me. "Amber what kind of cat am I?" I inquired, looking pointedly at my spots. "Well, judging by how big your claws and teeth are, I'd say you take the form of one of the big cats, she said. "If I had to choose one, I think you're a snow leopard. You do have the white fur." Snow leopard. Awesome. The scenery around us was beginning to change. Trees spread sparsely about replaced the dense woods and then we reached a road. I recognized the road as the dirt road leading to town. We always took this road when my family and I were going to the airport… My family. What could I do?! It's not like it's easy to go up and tell them I'm actually a person who can change into a snow leopard. Plus, who knows how much unknown danger I could drag them into. I would find them when I knew they'd be safe. I was brought back from my reverie when Amber announced "Ah. Home, sweet home." I went back to human form and stood up to get a better look at the building we were standing in front of. It was clearly abandoned and the age-worn bricks were covered in grime. I winced. Surely we weren't supposed to stay here? But Amber walked in through the battered door and called inside "Anyone home?" I walked in after her. There were a couple light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, and in the dim light, I could see two people coming down the stairs. The first was a guy with tousled blond hair and bright blue eyes. I flinched away when I saw them. The second figure was a girl. She was tall and slender with shoulder length blond hair. Her eyes were a piercing green, similar to the boy. It was clear they were siblings. "Hey, Taylor," said Amber, looking toward the boy. "Hey, Carmen," added Amber, addressing the girl. I couldn't help feeling envious of her. She had the perfect figure and it was because of girls like this that I was afraid to ask boys out. These blondes constantly outshined me. Speaking of, Carmen regarded me with a suspicious expression. "Who's she?" she said, throwing a poisonous glance towards me. "Oh yeah! This is Angela, Carmen. She became a +Anima today," replied Amber. Carmen's eyes widened for a moment and then returned to normal. "How'd she turn?" she said to Amber. "She saved a little girl from being trampled by a football player," said Amber. Carmen's gaze immediately softened. Weird. I guess she felt threatened before. I remembered how people looked at me when I was in my +Anima form. I spoke up, "How did I turn anyway? One minute I was standing up and then the next I was on the field knocking over a football player who could've plowed me over if I wasn't a +Anima." Taylor, who had been staring at the dark corner of the room, spoke. "You haven't told her about how most people change, Amber?" Amber blushed and said, "Um, no. I kind of forgot." Taylor continued, this time his words directed at me. "Usually people will become +Anima when in a high stress or dangerous situation. For example, if you were about to be mugged in an alley, that's a time, where you could become a +Anima. It's a defense mechanism that's triggered by the need to survive. However, you're the first case I've known that changed to save **another**. Most of the time a person will change to save themselves." I nodded and asked, "If you wouldn't mind, I'm a little curious about how you, Carmen, and Amber became +Anima." "Well, we've got nowhere to go and some time, so why not?" he replied. Amber began jumping up and down excitedly, words pouring out "Me first! Me first! Oh Angela I've wanted to tell you for such a long time!"


	3. Chapter 5 Origins

Ok here's Chapter 5. I've already written most of my story so updates will be fast.

Disclaimer – I don't own +Anima

Chapter 5 (Origins)

"It all happened before I met you, Angela," said Amber. "Before I moved here, I used to live in New York City, as you know." I nodded impatiently, motioning her to go on. "I went on a trip to the Empire State Building and my older sister and I went all the way to the top. I was only 12 then, and when we got there, I was so excited. I leaned over the railing. I wasn't afraid of falling, there were bars in front of me to prevent that, but I could still stick my head through. It was amazing to see the city laid out like that making the cars look like ants. I leaned so far my shoulders slipped through the bars and before I knew it I was in a free fall. My heart was racing and I had left my stomach behind back at the top of the building. I felt a huge adrenaline rush and then I was floating. I looked to my side and sprouting out of my back were large brown wings. I went to a ledge of a building and pretended to be a gargoyle. I knew if someone saw me I'd be the new specimen in a zoo. Once night fell I went to Grand Central Station. There waiting were Taylor and Carmen." Amber finished. Taylor picked up and started talking "After Carmen and I changed we went out searching for others like us. We were hanging outside the Empire State Building when I saw Amber unfurl her wings. We followed her to Grand Central and we became a three-some." The pieces were beginning to fall together. "How did you two change?" I inquired. Carmen spoke first "We changed together actually. We were orphans living in the streets of New York and at the time we were 14. We're 19 now by the way. One day when walking at night we saw a group of figures following us. We darted down an alley and ran for the more populated part of town. But we were blocked. They came at us from both sides. A man in a large sweatshirt spoke to me first. He said that pretty girls shouldn't be walking the streets. Then he grabbed me by the waist and…" She choked with forgotten rage. A dangerous glint flashed in her green eyes. Taylor continued for her "His cronies held me back and I was pinned to the alley wall. I struggled but four grown men against me were impossible to deal with. I heard Carmen shriek and I was so angry that I screamed and hit one of the guys holding me down. He fell back swearing but when he got back up his anger was replaced by intense fear. The other three began backing away from me. I looked at a puddle at my feet and saw that my hands and mouth had turned lupine. I turned toward Carmen where her offenders were also backing away. She had a crocodilian tail and mouth so full of teeth that I was almost afraid of my own sister." Carmen had calmed back down and began to talk once more "You might not have known but there are actually 6 of us, 7 including you." I smiled glad to know I was accepted. "Who else is with you guys?" "Well there's Nikki a raccoon +Anima and Sam a gecko +Anima. They're a couple we found in Philadelphia on our route to Chicago. And they're the ones that are out at the moment." said Taylor. "Nikki had to change because of her abusive mother. And Sam was rock climbing in the mountains when a rock slide made him lose his grip but as a gecko he caught on the side of a cliff and survived." "But that leaves one left." I said. "That one would be me." Out of the shadows a tall boy with light brown hair and hazel eyes locked eyes with me. My breath caught. The intensity of his gaze knocked my breath away. I was entranced. Without breaking eye contact he said "I'm Aaron. A tiger +Anima." Tiger. Well he certainly had the size for it. "And who might you be?" he added. "Angela," I said, "I'm a snow leopard +Anima." His eyebrows were raised a fraction of an inch. "Snow Leopard? That's a new one." Interest was blazing in his eyes and I smiled. "So have you filled her in all the way?" Aaron asked Taylor. "Almost" he said. "We still haven't gotten to the part of what we do, although she knows we're always looking for new +Anima." "By the way," I said, "How do you know who's a +Anima when you haven't seen them transform before your eyes." "Well," said Aaron locking eyes with me again "Usually the kid looks anxious or is hiding something. And that something is usually the mark you get after you change." His eyes we trained on my arm where a beautiful tattoo like image laced up from my wrist to my shoulder. In between the swirls were leopard spots. I hadn't noticed. A lot of things were going over my head today but who could blame me? "What else do you do?" I asked Taylor though my eyes were still locked with Aaron's when he moved to stand next to me. I was intrigued with Aaron. He was so mysterious and my curiosity was killing me. A strange feeling of déjà vu swept over me when I looked at him. "This is the more dangerous part of our 'job,'" said Taylor "You see there's a gang of other +Anima that hate regular people. They were outcasts and were sometimes even hunted by normal people who were afraid. But it's not like these other +Anima tried to be discreet. They ran through the streets scaring the heck out of anyone there. But they're always picking fights with us and trying to extinguish the human race so there's only +Anima. We've been following them which led us here." Taylor looked tired and Amber picked up the story "I usually go to school wherever we go to try and find other kid +Anima." "That's another thing," I said, "Are all +Anima kids?" "People only can change in adolescent years for all we know. So far it's only been kids." This was Carmen now. God I was so exhausted but there was one last thing I needed to ask, "Where did Nikki and Sam go off to?" Aaron answered me, "They're our spies. Being a raccoon and a gecko are helpful for spying and they're small in general." "You look exhausted." He added, "Here I'll show you where to sleep." He motioned me toward the dark corner where he had entered the room. There was a doorway and I passed through into an almost cave-like room. In fact I told Aaron this and he laughed and said "Well yeah, it's my room and being a tiger I find it comfy. I figured you would too, since you're a leopard." It was true I was at ease in the dark. He showed me a pullout couch that I nearly collapsed on. I fell into a contented sleep.


	4. Chapter 6 Learning

Well um. I don't know what to say.

~Leopardspotz17

Disclaimer – You know it by now.

Chapter 6 (Learning)

_Panting was coming from behind me. My pursuers were right on my tail. I pushed myself to the limit. I ran down a hallway… right into a dead end. They were closing in…_ I woke up in a cold sweat. I looked around and saw I was still on the pullout couch. Aaron wasn't here so I got up stretched and made my way out of the room. Sitting in the front room was Amber and two new people. I figured they must be Nikki and Sam. Nikki was a short girl with short black hair pulled up in a ponytail. Sam had a strange mix of red and blond making his hair seem like a small fire. He too was on the shorter side. Amber was jabbering away as always and I sat down next to her. "FINALLY" said Amber with exasperation. "You were asleep forever!" "Good morning to you too." I answered. "So you must be Angela." Said Nikki. "As you've probably guessed I'm Nikki and this is my partner Sam." Sam nodded in greeting. "We've just been telling Amber what we've learned from last night." Said Sam. "We found their hideout in the eastern side of Chicago. Along the wharfs." "We don't know what exactly what there intent is, but they purposely set up along the piers for a reason. We also gathered that they want to increase their numbers but who knows how they plan to do that." Said Nikki. "Hmm… So what's the plan for now?" I asked. "Well just chill. Do whatever. Actually you might want to learn how to fight in case you ever need to." Said Amber. "Say what?!" I said indignantly. "Hey now that you're a +Anima you've got to be prepared. Also you've got to develop your fighting style. You've got to learn before you can go with us to try and bring down a gang of dangerous +Anima!" "Taylor and Carmen are out in the woods that you came from before. I'm pretty sure they'll be glad to instruct you." said Sam. I wandered outside the house and into the forest. It was only a couple minutes until I heard the noise. I broke into a run morphing into my cat form and ran up a tree. I figured if they were going to see me in +Anima form I might as well make a dramatic entrance. I leaped silently from branch to branch until I was right above them. I sat watching Taylor whirl back and forth blocking with his paws/hands and dodging Carmen's huge crushing jaws. I sat watching wondering when I'd finally by noticed. As if he read my thoughts Taylor paused and looked to the sky. I pressed into the shadows and jumped down silently behind Taylor. I tapped his shoulder "Looking for something?" I asked. He jumped and turned, his wolf eyes widening. "How did I not hear you?" he said surprised. "Since when can you hear a cat?" I replied. "Amber sent me to learn how to fight." Suddenly I heard something behind me I stepped lithely to the side and watched amused as a huge figure leaped past me. "Missed" I said. "Damn it! I thought for sure I would catch you." said a disgruntled Aaron. I looked him up and down in his tiger form. Huge claws sprouted from smooth striped fur and his nose and mouth came to form a muzzle much like Taylor's and mine. "If you guys are ready to stop fooling around I'd like to start." said Carmen. I began sparring with Carmen first. I began to take note of her style. She used raw power of her jaw and tail. At first I was afraid but it was easy enough to dodge her tail and step out of the way of her jaws. After beginning to get the feel of things I'd dodge a blow and darted in to hit Carmen in the side. I also learned when fighting Carmen to not attack at the front or back but at the side where it was hard for her to see. After an hour I switched to fighting Taylor. This was harder because I was tired from avoiding Carmen's jaw and tail and I had been hit numerous times. Taylor was sneakier and harder to predict. He was more graceful than Carmen and used more strategy. Most of the time it was swing and miss for both of us. We took a break and returned to the house for lunch. Nikki ordered Tai food. And soon I was done eating and withdrew from my surroundings to think. Again I thought of my parents. How upset they must be right now. They had already lost so much… No I refused to think of such a horrible memory. I remembered something I had wanted to know to distract my thoughts. "Amber? What happened to school? Are you going to go back and what am I going to do? Didn't people see me turn into a leopard?" My stream of questions succeeded in being a sufficient distraction. "No I'm not going back to that school. Last night I cleared a "school transfer". I took the liberty to do the same for you too. And yes people saw a leopard, but because I spread a rumor that one escaped the zoo, people thought their eyes were playing tricks on them when that leopard looked a little too human." she responded. "It must be hard for you." she added, shooting a sympathetic glance to me, "Being away from your family and all." She just had to bring up that subject again.


	5. Chapter 7 Friends

Ahh the beauty of friendship… :) Here's a quote for friendship – "True friends equals – you cry, I cry, you fight, I fight, you jump off a bridge, I get a paddle boat and save your stupid ass."

~Leopardspotz17

Chapter 7 (Friends)

Amber frowned when she saw my pained expression. I could never hide my emotions from Amber. She saw through any of my lies as if they were clear as glass. "What's wrong Ange? What aren't you telling me?" she asked, concerned, "Nothing" I mumbled. "Angela there's no secrets here. We have to know each other like we know ourselves. It's all about trust. Please tell me." I sighed. And defeated I began to tell a secret I had harbored for years. "I'm concerned for my parents, because they'll be so worried that I haven't come home and they'll think they've lost another child." "Another?" said Nikki. "Yes. I had an older brother. He was about a year or so older than me but when I was three he went on a trip to the piers in Chicago with our uncle. The docks were slippery and…" I chocked back a sob and continued, "Both he and my uncle fell off the pier and perished." I fought back tears and took a sip of my water. "I'm so sorry." said Amber softly. "Don't be." I said smiling a bit. "I think everyone here has lost their families." The mood of the room had become melancholy with thoughts of past lives. "Come on! Brighten up! Angela still hasn't sparred with me or Nikki yet!" said Sam smiling. He was as cheery and bright as his hair. "Don't forget me!" called Aaron as he stumbled out of his room. "Cat vs. cat. I'd like to see this." said Amber. As we walked into the dappled sunlight of the forest Amber's tan wings unfurled and she took off to land high in a tree to watch. "Ok. First Angela and me. You and Nikki warm up." said Aaron. I looked to the small couple and watched as Nikki's face changed. She had whiskers and fur grew over her face and soon she looked like a bandit. Then she turned to examine her new fluffy tail. Then Sam began to sprout scales on the front of his arms and from the shins down on his legs. His hands and feet grew webbed and his eyes changed to a bright red with black pupils. "Hey you ready yet?" Aaron asked impatiently. His arms were muscular and covered with the smooth shining fur. Stripes stood out and his claws ended in sharp points. I morphed and smiled showing a mouthful of teeth. "Whoa. Don't smile like that, it makes me wonder what your up t-" He didn't get to finish. I leapt at him knocking him over but he rolled and pinned my to the earth. "Nice move, but I'm still bigger than you." Aaron said, smiling his head off. "Yeah but are you smarter?" I brought my legs up and kicked him in the chest. It wasn't hard enough to force him back (I didn't want to injure him) but it was enough. I used his shock to roll away and get to my feet. "Wahoo! Spots against stripes!" Amber was laughing high in her tree. While I was distracted by Amber Aaron started to run towards me on all fours and pounced. He was grinning smugly. I knew what would wipe that grin off his face. Just before he was about to hit me I fell to the ground deliberately and, after a flash of surprise on his face, he crashed, head on, into the tree behind me. "Oww…" he groaned rubbing his head. "Can you take anymore?" I asked teasingly. "I'm going to say no, in order to keep my limbs intact. But how did you know what I was going to do? Don't say 'well I'm just faster than you', because there has to be more to it than that." "What? Are you suggesting ESP?" I said, "I don't know! Maybe!" he exclaimed, "Just let it go." I replied. But he was right. Something was so familiar about him that I almost knew what he'd do before he did it. Aaron sighed and climbed up Amber's tree where Nikki was also sitting. "Ok my turn." said Sam from behind me. I turned and faced him "Bring it."


	6. Chapter 8 Enemies

Dun dun duh!!!!!! Here's a quote for enemies "When life gives you lemons, squirt lemon juice in the eyes of your enemies."

~Leopardspotz17

Disclaimer - +Anima… wish I owned it.

Chapter 8 (Enemies)

Before Sam or I could make a move Amber shrieked. We both turned to see Amber in flight dodging an enormous falcon +Anima. "Amber!" Nikki yelled. She jumped from the branch onto the falcon's back and started clawing at his face. With an enraged cry the falcon dude shook her off and Nikki started to fall. "NIKKI!" Sam screamed in anguish. Faster than I could've imagined he scaled a tree, jumped to where Nikki was falling in mid-air, caught her and landed on another tree trunk. I heard another yell. A couple yards away Aaron was rolling on the ground with what looked like bear. "Hold on Aaron!" I leaped at bear throwing him off my friend. Aaron was looking pretty torn up. "Get home now! Go to Taylor and Carmen!" I yelled at him. "No. I'm not leaving you guys!" I couldn't snap at him again, for the bear was charging at me now. This was the first time I got a good look at the bear +Anima. His arms and legs were covered in thick shaggy brown fur and had long claws. His muzzle was covered in Aaron's blood. He was running at me and I stepped to the side and took a swipe at his back with my claws. I raked his back but the bear noticed nothing. Damn, his fur was so thick it was hard to get to the skin underneath. He whirled back around and faked to my left then clawed at my right. I skipped gracefully back and climbed a tree. I leapt branch to branch until the bear +Anima lost sight of me. I took this moment to look for Aaron. I didn't see him in the clearing. Thank God he was away from the bear. Suddenly my tree shook. The bear caught sight of me once again and was ramming the tree. I had had enough. Screaming I leapt down stretching my claws out and I hit him square in the shoulders. We tousled until we both heard a screech and saw the falcon being held hostage by Amber, Nikki and Sam. The bear was quicker than I was to recover from the distraction. I took me roughly and I was pressed to his chest one of his claws pointed at my throat. "Let him go or she dies." growled the bear. "Don't even dare Jacob." snarled Nikki, letting out a hiss. "She will die if you don't let him go." Jacob repeated "Hey, hey, don't make any hasty decisions there!" I said His other arm wrapped around my neck shortening my breath. Suddenly the limp falcon boy kicked Amber back and flew up high where he stayed watching. "There. Now let Angela go." said Sam quite evenly. "Angela? Such an innocent name for such a vicious fighter." "Let her go." Sam's voice was scarily calm. "I don't know. We could use her on the team." "Sure, sounds great." I said. I could feel Jacob stiffen in surprise and I saw the shocked expressions on my three friends faces. "I just want to say one thing before we go." I added. "What would that be?" said Jacob. "Sorry about your arm." "Wha-" Before he could finish his word I opened my mouth as wide as I could and bit down hard on the arm holding me. I felt my teeth sink into something soft and the salty taste of blood was on my lips. Jacob yowled and let go of me, cradling his arm tenderly. I slipped out of his arms and rejoined my friends. "That's for Aaron." I said, "Now leave before I do more than just bite you." Oddly enough Jacob was smiling. "The offer's still there if you ever change your mind." Then without another word he sprinted into the wood getting farther and farther away until he disappeared.


	7. Chapter 9 and 10 Oh Brother, The Plan

Chapters 9 and 10 are here. Don't have a quote in mind that would fit with this chapter but I'm still going to put one! "When at first you don't succeed erase all evidence you tried in the first place."

~Leopardspotz17

Disclaimer – Getting tired of writing this.

Chapter 9 (Oh, Brother)

I let out a breath. I didn't notice that I'd been holding it. "Nice move there, Ange. Good bluffing." said Sam. "Thanks." I puffed. I was breathless. "Come on let's go back home." said Nikki. Back at the house Aaron was practically tied to a chair. "What the heck?" I said. "He came back here to get us to come and help you guys but he refused to stay here. So we both had to stay and make sure he didn't die of blood loss." said Carmen. "What happened back there anyway?" Taylor questioned. "We were attacked in the woods by Jacob and Felix." answered Sam. "So it **was** Monty's gang." stated Carmen, who was winding bandages around Aarons torso. "Who else could it had been?" said Aaron, "What did I miss during the fight? When I left, Angela was fighting Jacob and everyone else was fighting Felix in the sky." he said. I plunked down in a seat next to Aaron while Amber and Nikki filled him in. When they got to the part where was held hostage by Jacob, Aaron froze. He was clenching his fist so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "It's ok Aaron. I'm fine." I reassured him. "If you had gotten hurt I would've never forgiven myself." said Aaron, trembling with anger. "Why? It's not your fault that a psychopath bear +Anima attacked us." I said. "I could've protected you." "Are you crazy! You would've been killed! Look at how deep those cuts are!" But Aaron held the same angry expression. "God, I've only been here a day and you already feel the need to protect me from everything." I said. "That's just it. I don't know why I feel the need to do that. It's like you predicting my attacks. I feel like I've known you forever and that if I lost you, part of me would die." he trailed off. The room went silent. "Angela your fifteen right?" asked Amber. "Yes but what does that have to do with anything?" she ignored me and asked Aaron "And Aaron your 17?" "Yeah I still don't see-" "Stop talking ok. I need to think." She looked from me to Aaron back and forth, until she finally said "Aaron, tell me again how you changed." "Well I fell off a dock when I was 5 and… OH MY GOD." Both Aaron and me were staring at each other with widened eyes. "I love family reunions!" said Amber. That's when I fainted.

Chapter 10 (The Plan)

I was revived by a strong putrid smell. "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHAT IS THAT SMELL!" I yelled pinching my nose. "Sorry," apologized Sam, "We didn't have smelling salts so I used my sock." "OH GROSS!" I yelled, disgusted. "Wow you really passed out. You were out so cold that you de-morphed right then and there." said Amber. "Well yeah I just found my long lost older bro!" I stood and held Aaron in a bone-crushing hug. "Can't… Breath…" he gasped. I let go and really looked at him. My eyes and hair were darker than his but I could see the resemblance to my mom when I looked at him. "Oh my God! Mom and Dad! They have to know that you're alive! And what happened to Uncle?" I was so excited that my jumbled words barely made any sense. "Hold on, hold on! I'm sad to say Uncle didn't make it but I figured out that tigers are really strong swimmers. And I'm sorry Angela we can't go see Mom and Dad although I'd want nothing more than to see them. We can't involve them in this yet." Aaron said with a sad smile. I nodded. "Well now that we've made a life changing discovery and we've been attacked by our enemies what do we do?" asked Nikki. "Well first things first you all have to clean up. If you haven't noticed your all covered in blood." said Carmen, who was looking pointedly at my blood-stained shirt. Amber showed me to the upper part of the house. There were three bedrooms and one bathroom. The bedrooms were tiny and the bathroom was a bit cramped but everything was clean. Amber gave me a pair of my jeans and an old favorite t-shirt of mine. "Where'd you get these?" I asked. "When you were out sparring earlier this morning I went into your room via window and brought all your clothes, your toothbrush etc." she said. "You are the greatest friend, Amber." I replied appreciatively. "I know." she said and she went into her and Carmen's shared bedroom. I figured that one was for Taylor and the other one for Nikki and Sam. I closed the bathroom door and stepped into a hot shower. I was surprised that they even got hot water here. When I had washed away all the dirt and blood I stepped out of the shower and examined my bruises. Nothing was too bad, so I headed back down stairs where everyone had changed and were waiting. I sat down with Aaron and leaned my head against his shoulder. It was so comforting to have some bit of family again. "So what's the game plan?" I asked. "Well we were talking it over and decided that we had better go to Chicago so were closer to Monty's head quarters and we can figure out what they're planning to do." answered Taylor. "Who's Monty?" "Monty is the head of the enemy gang. He's the first one to start the gang and he's the strongest. He's a Bison +Anima. If you see him watch out for his horns." said Nikki. "But I've got good news and bad news about this plan." said Sam. "What's the bad news?" asked Amber. "Well If we get in a fight with them we're going to die." "Well what's the good news?" asked Carmen "Well I saved a lot of money by switching to Geico." answered Sam. We all groaned.


	8. Chapters 11, 12, and 13

Three more short chapters. I'm now trying different points of view. Hope I didn't screw anything up. Here's my quote "NEVER do anything you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics."

~Leopardspotz17

Disclaimer – I don't own +Anima

Chapter 11 (Lucas)

(Lucas POV)

"Lucas!" I turned around to look for the person who said my name. My little sister was running towards me. "Careful Lily! Don't trip." The cracked and bumpy pavement in East Chicago wasn't the best for running. "Look what I found!" she said. She had cupped her hands around something. She un-cupped her hands and shoved them in my face. "SEEE!!!! It's a cute little spider!" I yelped and jumped back. I absolutely hated spiders. "Let it go Lily." I said. "Aww… but it's so adorable!" she whined. _No, no it's not._ I thought. She let the spider go on the pavement and it scuttled away. "Ok Lily, go home now. It's getting late and I have to get to Eric's apartment." "See ya!" shouted Lily, she was already halfway down the block skipping happily. I smiled. I had such a sweet little sister. I made my way to Eric's apartment whistling. I was only a block away from Eric's when a hand was put over my mouth and I was dragged into an alley. _I'm getting mugged_ I thought. Then I was 30 feet off the ground. _No, no I'm definitely not being mugged._

Chapter 12 (Travel)

(Angela POV)

"Here's a duffel bag for your stuff." said Amber, as she tossed me the bag. I folded my clothes neatly and zipped up the bag. "So will we come back to this house later?" I asked. "Depends on what happens in Chicago. If we die, then no, but if we win and don't have to worry about them any more, then yes, we'll come back." she replied. It was weird to think that the threat of death didn't scare me anymore. I figured if I went down I would try to take at least three with me. I put the strap over my shoulder and brought the duffel downstairs where everyone had brought his or her things. "How are we getting to Chicago?" I asked Taylor. I knew the city was about half an hour to forty minutes away by car. "How fast can you run?" was Taylor's answer. "After we find a place in the city to stay, Amber will fly back here and bring our stuff there." he added. "Everyone ready?" asked Carmen, coming down the stairs. "I'm ready." said Aaron entering the room. "Nikki! Sam! Finish up everyone's waiting!" Amber yelled. "Hey! It's not like you guys need to organize spy equipment!" said Nikki, nearly falling down the stairs due to the heavy bags. "Let's go already!" said Taylor morphing into his wolf form. This time his legs turned lupine too. _I guess after you've been a +Anima for so long you can control which parts of you change._ I thought. I changed too and soon everyone was sprinting out the door and back yet again into the woods. Aaron and I were running side by side, and Taylor and Carmen were behind us. Nikki and Sam were leaping branch to branch above us, and Amber was leading, getting a bird's eye view. I looked back and saw that Carmen was in her regular form riding on Taylor's now wolf back. I dropped back and said "Taylor, need a rest?" Taylor smiled and Carmen jumped agilely onto my back. Her weight barely slowed my down. I ran back up to Aaron. "How do you think this will all turn out?" I asked, in a hushed tone. "I don't know Ange. Who knows how big Monty's gang has gotten." Aaron answered. His face was creased with worry. "It'll be ok." I said. He smiled back and said "Race you to Chicago!" He broke out in a faster sprint and I yelled in surprise and was hot on his tail. He laughed all the way to the city.

Chapter 13 (Chicago)

Amber swooped down about 40 minutes later and we all stopped. "We're on the outskirts of the city now, so I'd suggest looking human." We all de-morphed and walked into the city. I'd been to Chicago dozens of times but this time I saw more than busy city life. I saw hidden danger and shadowy figures. It wasn't the same Chicago to me. We had entered the city from the south and headed to the eastern part of the city. Once we were on the docks we kept to the shadows and no one seemed to notice us. We checked out the factories and storage houses on the piers. Near the end of the docks we found an old, dilapidated storage building. Sam crept in and checked everything out. The ceiling was complete and strong and it was abandoned. We all ventured in and claimed our living spaces. "Perfect timing too. It's just getting dark so Amber can go and get our things." said Taylor. "On it!" Amber flew up to a window opened it and darted through. About twenty minutes later Taylor's bag dropped through the window and Sam caught it. "That was fast!" I said. "It took us nearly an hour to get here." "But Amber was going slow for us to keep up and she had to be cautious in daylight. But at night she's very fast." answered Carmen. Another twenty minutes later my duffel dropped through the window. Sam handed it to me and I set it down where I planned to sleep. I scanned everyone in the room. Aaron was currently sitting on an old crate that was about 10 feet high. Sam was hanging upside-down on an iron beam. Nikki was sitting on the floor grooming her fluffy tail. Carmen and Taylor were playing cards under the window. I smiled as I took in my friends, heck they were my family now. I was tired from running and sleepy but I didn't want to miss anything. "Hey guys I'm going out for some fresh air." I said standing up. "Ok, but be inconspicuous." answered Taylor. I crept out into the cool fall air and breathed in deeply. I scanned the street up and down and decided it was clear. I walked a bit down the street keeping to the shadows. I stopped and looked to the sky. I was cloudy and the stars were hidden. Was everything hiding these days? Suddenly I was yanked back. Before I could yell or morph a hand was clamped firmly over my mouth. I struggled and another arm closed around my throat and blacks spots started to dot my vision. _So much for being inconspicuous._ I thought and the world faded to black.


	9. Chapter 14 Taken

I wrote this just last night. Hopefully this story is doing well. The quote – "Death- the number 1 killer in America. Tell your friends."

Chapter 14 (Taken)

(Amber POV)

Ahh… I love the night air. I was riding on the warm updrafts carrying Aaron and Carmen's bags. I was dreading Sam and Nikki's bags because they were the heaviest. But they had to be heavy because they were full of "spy equipment." Sure… I think they're just pack rats. As I neared the window I saw Angela standing outside. I threw the bags in though the window and stood on the roof watching. I know it's rude to spy, but I thought of it as "watching over her". I could pass for a guardian angel anyways. I looked back down to the streets but Angela was gone. I flew up a bit and scanned the shadows. There in a passageway between two storage houses was Angela and a shadowy figure. I landed silently on a roof and trained my eyes on the silhouette. Angela was lying limp in his arms but her chest was still rising. The figure slung her over his shoulder and ran through the passage to another building concealed by the front storage house. He knocked in a rhythmic pattern on the door and it swung silently in. He disappeared into the building and shut the door. I was still in shock from what I had just seen. I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts. I listed the facts. 1. Angela was taken. 2. She was taken to a building nearby. 3. She is alive. Well at least she was close. I swooped into our new home through the window squawking. "Amber! What's with all the noise? I'm trying to sleep." said Sam groggily. "Angela's been abducted!" "What?!" said Aaron in alarm. "You heard me! She's in a building nearby taken by some guy in an alley. I couldn't get a good look at him but he was big an-" "Amber calm down. Take it slow so we can think of a plan." said Taylor. "Well at least we know who took her." said Nikki. "Maybe you do but I'm clueless." said Carmen. "Oh come on people! Who offered Angela to join him? Who was it that nearly kidnapped her before? Who could've been strong enough to hold her? This is kindergarten stuff!" snapped Nikki. "Jacob." hissed Aaron. He was already in tiger form. He was so mad that he went all the way. His every feature was tiger-like and he was almost through the door when Carmen dragged him back. "You can't be serious!" Aaron yelled at Carmen. "I've got to save my sister!" "If you really want to save her then you would wait here and think rationally!" Carmen replied angrily. Aaron sat back and fumed.

(Angela POV)

Ugg. My head was pounding. I lifted my heavy eyelids to see that I was in a dimly lit room. I tried to move my hands to rub my eyes, but I found that I couldn't. As I began to wake up the memories of last night came flooding back. Great, now I was kidnapped. I was tied to a wooden chair and I hands were tied behind my back and my legs we tied to the legs of the chair. I struggled trying to free my bonds but all I got from my efforts was chafed wrists. I looked around for anything in the room that could assist me. Wait a second! I'm a snow leopard for crying out loud I could cut right through this rope. I started to change when I received a powerful shock. I immediately stopped my transformation and the shock stopped as well. Crap. The door on the other side of the room began to open. Jacob stepped fluidly into the room. Damn it! Nice Ange, nice. You get kidnapped but no, that's just not enough is it? No you had to go get kidnapped by the psychotic bear. "You finally woke up." Jacob commented. "You're observation skills are astounding." I retorted. "When I found you last night I thought you were just a random girl." "Wow that really helps my self esteem." I snapped. "Your name's Angela right? And tell me how's Aaron?" I stiffened and glared murderously at the boy. He was about my age but he was huge. He was nothing but muscle, no wonder Aaron got his butt handed to him. His eyes were a mix of every eye color imaginable. Most of his iris was a green-blue but it was flecked with spots of hazel and the rim of it faded into a blue-gray color. But those eyes didn't hold the bloodlust I had seen before. They were almost gentle. "I should've warned you about the collar." said Jacob breaking the silence. "What-" I looked down to see a metal collar around my neck. "WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM? A DOG?!" I exploded. Jacob smirked. "Wipe that smile off your face you son of a bitch!" I yelled. If I hadn't been tied to a chair Jacob would've been bleeding on the floor by now. "I can't help it, you're so cute when you're mad." he said still smiling. Oh my god. Did he just say? "Excuse me?" I said incredulously. "I said-" he started "I know what you said." I sat thinking this over. What did I think about this? Why couldn't I just simply reject him right here and now? I hated the guy. But when he said that and the look in his eye… NO. Remember what he did to Aaron. I thought of Aaron bleeding in the forest and Jacob's muzzle covered in his blood and my rage was brought back. "Well if you like me so much just take off this collar." I said. "But what fun would that be? If I took that off you would just run." he said. "I wonder why?" I replied. "Anyway I got lucky when I found you and I'm not about to waste my luck." he said, and, without another word, he left the room and with a click of a lock I was alone again.


	10. Chapter 15 Fear

Ok I really wanted to post this although it's pretty short. I'm not sure how I'm going to start Chapter 16 because I can't decide between doing Jacob's POV or Aaron's POV. Please help! Also I hope more people decide to read this! Quote – "Silence is Golden, but Duct Tape is Silver…" ;) :P :D :)

Chapter 15 (Fear)

(Lucas POV)

I looked down at the city that was spread out before me. The only thought I had was _how is this possible?_ I came out of shock long enough to look up. Above me was a boy that looked about 18. He had dark brown wings spotted with white sprouting out between his shoulder blades. His legs were scaly and rough and ended with talons. These talons were gripping my shoulders keeping me aloft. He paid me no attention and continued gliding on his wings. We near the wharfs and we got lower and lower. My mind was still in a daze until the boy dropped me. I screamed as I plummeted. As the pavement rushed up to meet me I stopped. The boy had caught me again. "Hmm. not a bird then." _What?_ Once we were about a yard away from the ground he dropped me roughly. I landed on my hands and feet and began to run. Before I could go a foot the bird boy was in front of me again. "At least you've got good reflexes." He said. Then he thrust my hands behind my back and said, "Move." I was prodded into an alley that led to a dreary gray building. The door to the building opened and I was pushed inside. From there a blindfold was tied over my eyes and I was pushed through what I assumed was a network hallways and doors. Suddenly the blindfold was whipped off my eyes and a door slammed behind me. I was in a windowless room. Standing at the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall, was another boy. His hair was jet black and his eyes were so dark they matched his hair. "What do you want with me?" I managed to choke out. My voice was pretty level and for that I was proud. But the boy didn't say anything he just smiled. Then, before I realized what was happening, long, sharp horns appeared on the boy's head. But he was no longer a boy. Thick fur grew from his shoulders up and from his waist down. His feet became large hooves and he snorted. I had a flashing thought of the Minotaur in Greek mythology. But I dismissed this thought when the creature started to run at me pointing his long horns in the direction of my chest. But I didn't scream. I didn't try to run. What happened instead was much stranger than I could've imagined. The instant before I would've been impaled by the horns I was out of the way. I took a second to wonder why the creature was now standing on the ceiling. That's when I looked down. My arms had morphed halfway into spindly black limbs. They were covered in sensitive hairs and were sticky. I looked at my legs, which seemed to be normal. But sticking out of my sides were another pair of the same black extremities. I opened my mouth to scream but instead venom shot out from fangs that were not there two minutes ago. I was a spider. This was the very definition of irony. "Very good." said the creature that was now a boy again. He was still upside-down or, rather, I was the one who was on the ceiling. "What's happening?" I asked my voice trembling. "Let me tell you about +Anima." began the boy.


	11. Chapter 16 Discoveries

Tada! Chapter 16! Sigh… no one has reviewed… Oh well I'm just happy that I wrote this. Quote – "I do not suffer from insanity… I enjoy every minute of it!" PLEASE REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I am jealous because I don't own +Anima.

Chapter 16 (Discoveries)

(Angela POV)

I had been alone in that room for forever nearly losing my mind. I was about to go nuts when Jacob entered the room again this time bringing a chair for himself. His eyes held that same gentle almost longing look. "Still feeling lucky?" I spat. "Actually yes. I was hoping you would too." he responded. "Oh yes usually I don't have the luck to get kidnapped by someone who nearly killed my brother." "Your brother? Well that's new. But I was hoping you'd feel lucky because you'd get to be here with me." He said sitting down next to me. "Your ego's dangerously large for that tiny brain of yours." I said. "Do you always have to be so mean? I'm hurt." he said flashing me a puppy dog face. "I think that was the point of the comment." I said coldly. No way I was going to feel bad for this loser. "Aw come on. Please just listen to me." he pleaded. I looked into those eyes and shut up. "Thank you. Now you don't know how lucky you are that I found you. If you had fought us with your puny friends against us, you guys would've been massacred." he said concern flashing through his face for a moment. "Excuse me? Puny? And like you'd care if we died." The moment I uttered that last sentenced a cold seriousness swept over Jacob "Of course I would care if you died." The way he said that was so overwhelming that I was at a loss for words. I swallowed and finally said, "Why do you care about me so much? You don't even know me." "Oh but I do." he whispered. "Say that again?" I asked in disbelief. "I've known you since you moved into the suburbs. I lived across the street. I also went to school with you. You never noticed me…" he trailed off. I drew back memories from school to when I wasn't listening to Amber's continuous talk. I recalled one particular History class where a boy with Jacob's same body-shape and the same blackish-brown hair was looking toward me. I really did never pay him any attention. "And yet I continued to find you irresistible. I couldn't keep away from you and wherever you were I followed. You never noticed but I was always there." he finished sincerely. Incredibly, I didn't say "Stalker!" or "Well too bad because I hate you." like I would have said a couple minutes ago. Instead I regarded him with impartial eyes and if I took away the fact that he was the enemy, he was kind of cute. He stared back at me with his bright exotic eyes gazing intensely into my dark brown ones. My breathing hitched and he leaned closer to me. His lips brushed mine and in seconds he was kissing me. Even more surprising I was kissing him back. I found something deeper than hate for him. I found love. Jacob was cupping my face in his hands and I tried to draw away. He retreated back with a look of deep embarrassment on his face. "Jacob?" I said hesitantly. "Yes?" answered Jacob, blushing. "I'm so lucky to be here with you." I whispered. He smiled and leaned back in.

(Aaron POV)

I was furious at Carmen for making me stay back. I had finally rejoined my little sister and now she was gone. It had been hours since Amber came in with the news of Angela's kidnapping and it was about 10:00 AM. I was sitting up on top of the crates fuming and glaring out the window. Back down on the concrete floor Taylor was discussing the plan to free Angela. There always had to be a plan didn't there. I burned to just leap out the door and break Jacob's neck. But Carmen was one step ahead of me and was barring the door. I was staring out my window when I saw a small girl crying and calling out for someone. This piqued my curiosity and I wandered to the door. Before Carmen could say or do anything to stop me I said, "Listen." Everyone quieted and heard the frantic shouting from outside. I ventured outside and Nikki followed me. I stayed back in the shadow of the building as Nikki walked toward the sobbing girl. "Are you ok?" asked Nikki softly. The kid continued to cry and call "Lucas where are you!" After about twenty minutes Nikki finally gathered that the girl had lost her brother. At this time the girl's tears ceased and she said, "He was supposed to be at Eric's. But Eric said he didn't see him since yesterday morning. He didn't come back and I can't find him!" The girl burst into tears again. "It'll be ok. He'll be found." said Nikki, trying to comfort the girl in vain. But it had the opposite effect. Instead of calming down the girl ran off along the pier calling "Lucas!" "Interesting." murmured Nikki. "What?" I asked. "Well don't you think it's funny that this kid Lucas disappeared the same night as Angela?" "What? Am I supposed to care about some random kid?" I said irritated. "Notice that both Angela and Lucas are around the same age according to that little girl." Nikki continued. "So?" I said, still not seeing the point. "I think that this disappearance connects to Angela's disappearance and what Monty was planning to do here." Nikki walked back into our new home and I followed. When Nikki's thoughts started going she was practically a genius.

(Angela POV)

I pulled back away from Jacob and took a breath. I was standing up free from the chair but the collar was still on. Hey it was a start. I untwined my hands from Jacob's hair and said "Jacob why are you here? What made you join Monty?" Jacob took a deep breath and said, "During the summer I was in the forest camping. I had gone to get firewood but when I came back my parents were gone and there was a bear ravaging through our food. The bear charged at me and that's when I changed. So I went back to my house but I didn't have any money or food. That's when Monty found me. He helped my financially and I got to keep going to school." "Why don't you join us?" I asked. "No, I can't. I owe Monty and he would kill me for betraying him." he answered. I decided to leave the subject alone and asked. "Why were you trying to kidnap people?" Jacob flushed and said, "It's Monty's plan. He figured that we needed bigger numbers of +Anima, so he told us to grab kids so we could see if they became +Anima." "That's horrible! What happens if the don't change?" I asked. Jacob just looked away. I shivered and said, "Jacob please come with us. You can't stand by and let this happen." Jacob said nothing. "Well you can't expect me to join Monty, I won't stand for it." I stated and I headed for the door. But Jacob was in front of me barring the way out. "I can't let you do this. If you fight him you'll die." he said serious as ever. "You can't stop me Jacob, I'm sorry." "No but I will." he replied and before I could get out the door he slammed it and I heard the click of a lock. I groaned and banged against the door. I tried again to morph. The resulting shock stopped me in my tracks. I tried again and focused on my neck trying to decipher what made this thing go off. Once I felt my neck getting bigger and the fur on my neck growing the shock went off. Aha! So that was it. I remembered Taylor before we left for Chicago. His legs morphed as well as his hands and face. If only I could morph part of me. I concentrated and morphed again… I got a shock. I focus on my neck staying normal and I was zapped yet again. "All I'm asking for is one claw! Is that too much to ask for?" I hissed under my breath. Then I looked down to see my right hand a paw tipped with razor sharp claws. I reached up and felt the collar looking for a keyhole or divot in the smooth surface. I found a screw and scratched it out. The collar fell off with a satisfying clank. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Who knows how it could be useful later. I picked the door's lock and I slipped into the hall.


	12. Chapter 17 Breakout

ESCAPE TIME! Also I am sad because Spring Break is nearing its end… *SOB* WHY MUST ALL GOOD THINGS HAVE AN END!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: Must I say it again? I don't own +Anima

Chapter 17 (Breakout)

(Amber POV)

As Aaron and Nikki walked back inside I could see the telltale-thinking look on Nikki's face. She sat contemplating who knows what as Aaron told us about the little girl and Nikki's hypothesis. "So what do you think is happening with Monty, Nikki?" I asked. Nikki's head snapped up at the sound of her name. "What are you thinking Nikki?" I said again. "Hmm? Oh. Well so far I've guessed that Monty has been trying to kidnap kids around our age, such as Angela and Lucas. I don't think they knew who Angela was when they took her either. Even if they did know who she was, then why were they hanging out in dark alleys anyways? Plus the last time we spied on them we learned they wanted to increase their numbers." said Nikki. "And didn't they pick to have their hideout near the water for a reason?" asked Sam. "What I can't understand is why'd they want the water. I doubt they wanted the view and the water is freezing. The only thing it you would accomplish by swimming in that water is dea-" Nikki stopped and her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh my God. They want to make more +Anima." We were all silent. It made perfect sense. Carmen was the first to recover from this surprising news. "Well we can't just talk here while they go and kidnap kids! Tonight were going to save Angela and whoever else might have been abducted." she said. "Now you're talking!" said Aaron. Later that night we were all dressed in black and were outside the building I saw Jacob enter before. "How'd Jacob get in before Amber? The door's locked." asked Nikki. "Well he knocked on the door in a pattern. So all we have to do if figure that out then-" I stopped when Aaron took a running jump at the door which was knocked off its hinges. Taylor lifted up the door to see a guy unconscious under it. "Must've been the guard." said Taylor. "One down about twenty more to go." said Nikki who was already walking down the hall.

(Angela POV)

I snuck down the hall quickly trying not to run into any more people. I had already knocked out two guards patrolling the hall. One was a bat and the other a skunk. Needless to say they weren't the hardest opponents. But if I ran into something too nasty this might not end well. I passed a door when I heard cries for help. I picked the lock with my claw I opened the door. Inside were dozens of kids my age. I thought of what Jacob had told me about Monty trying to expand his numbers. "Don't ask questions. Be as quiet as possible, and follow me." I went back out into the hallway and looked back. A boy was peering through the door. "You guys coming or what?" I asked. The boy looked back into the room and nodded. The kids flooded out into the hallway and the boy I had seen before went up to stand beside me. He had a second pair of black stick-like arms sticking out of his sides. "I'm Lucas." said the boy. "I'm Angela." I replied and we all set off down the hall.

(Aaron POV)

We all followed Nikki down the halls knocking out the few guards we encountered. Nikki froze and pressed against the wall. We were about to turn a corner when we heard footsteps. We all mirrored Nikki. I tensed as a group of people turned the corner. I leapt at the biggest one in the front. We rolled until I was pinned. "Aaron?" said the figure. "Angela?!" I said recognizing my sister. She got up off of me and I said, "We were coming to save you! How'd you get out?" She snorted and replied, "I can escape easily enough. And I'll let you know that you don't need to save me, though I'd appreciate the help." "Come on! Let's get out of here." Carmen said. She started going down the hallway from where we came. "Who are these guys?" I whispered to Angela. "Other kids that were kidnapped. Monty was planning-" I cut her off "We know what he was planning." Suddenly Carmen said "Which way to the exit?" There were two passageways both equally dark. "Take the left one." said a voice from behind me and Angela. I turned and there, looking back at me, was Jacob. I growled and tensed but before I could leap at him Angela stood in front of Jacob. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I screeched at Angela. "Shut up before people start coming! And it's ok, Jacob's helping us." she said. This was getting so weird. "Let's just get out of here." said Nikki setting off down the left hallway. I ran up to Nikki and said, "You're really believing this guy? How do you know he's not leading us to a trap?" "Got any better ideas?" she snapped back at me. "Hey when life gives you lemons make lemonade!" said Amber, bouncing up to us, still unbelievably peppy. "Unless life's going to give me water and sugar too my lemonade's going to suck." I said under my breath.


	13. Chapter 18 Don't Mess With Crocodiles!

Love this chapter. Almost at the story's end! OMG! Also I think I might write a Twilight Fanfic but I need an idea to get started. PLEASE HELP!

Disclaimer: No I do not own +Anima.

Chapter 18 (Never Mess with Crocodiles)

(Angela POV)

I walked at the back of the group with Jacob. "What made you help us?" I asked. "Well I knew you would break out somehow and your friends are here too so I decided to help." he answered. "And?" I prompted. "What?" he said. "It can't be as simple as that! What else made you change your mind?" "Monty called me to his room and told me that if you didn't decide to join us soon he'd kill you. Obviously you wouldn't join us for anything so I thought, hey if I can't beat 'em, join 'em." he replied. "I can see the exit!" said Amber, from the front of the group. We all poured out of the exit into the night air. I took in a deep breath and enjoyed being outside. But I froze. I something smelled off. I looked up and on the rooftops around us were a group of bird +Anima. I saw Nikki tense and I followed her eyes to a dark side of a building where more +Anima waited in the shadows. "Nice to see you again, Monty." said Taylor evenly. Stepping out of the shadows was a boy with pitch-black hair and eyes so dark you couldn't distinguish the iris from the pupil. "Taylor… it's been a while." answered Monty smoothly. He began to change. Long horns grew from his now fur covered head. From his waist down more fur grew and his feet changed to hooves. He charged at Taylor who stepped to the side and took hold of Monty's horns, riding him like a mechanical bull. As if on cue all the birds swooped down bearing sharp beaks and talons. Amber rocketed to the sky taking on Felix. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I looked to the side to see Lucas. "We'll fight too. That is, all us new kids." he said. I was about to say no, until I looked at the determination on Lucas' face. I nodded but said, "If anyone wants to run tell them to go. This isn't their fight." And with that I turned and batted down a bird +Anima aiming for a kick at Carmen. I raked my claws down his right wing, and leapt onto his back. He tried to swing me off but I continued the blows at his wings and soon he was crashing. I leapt off his back and to the ground searching for another opponent. I saw Nikki fighting a fox +Anima. She had her legs locked around his neck and was beating him with a crowbar. I winced. That guy was definitely going to lose some IQ points. Nikki clambered off the poor guy who was out cold on the floor. "Where did you get that crowbar?!" I asked. "You don't think I would come unarmed did you?" she replied. I scanned the street looking for my friends. Sam was fighting a chameleon. She was disappearing every five seconds but Sam kept up. Carmen was fighting with a stag +Anima. Carmen bit down on one of his legs, and I looked away. Aaron was blocking an elephant +Anima. I teamed up with him clawing at the tough hide. We were an amazing team. It was as easy as breathing to fight along with him. The elephant +Anima was brought down in minutes. I heard a sharp cry and both Aaron and I turned to see Taylor on the ground clutching his side. Monty stood above him grinning. All around us the new +Anima kids were fighting. But all of us, the original team, froze and looked to Taylor. With an enraged cry Carmen charged toward Monty. We all abandoned the fights we were currently in and rushed to Taylor's aid. Amber swooped down and carried Taylor away, while Sam and Nikki dashed in perfectly synchronized with each other. Carmen was already gnashing her great jaws at Monty who darting away smugly. Carmen was seething with anger and she twirled, swinging her massive tail into Monty. He was thrown into a wall hitting it with a thud. Carmen lunged at him preparing to snap him like a twig but he got up and charged at her pointing his razor-sharp horns at her torso. Nikki and Sam stood back watching. "Why aren't you helping her?! This could be serious." I screeched at them. "This is Carmen's fight. Plus the way she attacks, we'd only get in the way." said Sam, who turned, scanning the sky. Taylor was gone as well as Amber, but the rest of us were back fighting off the other gang. I sighed and launched myself into another fight, helping some of the new kids.

(Carmen POV)

The world was bathed in red as I bit and slashed at Monty. He was quick but I was bigger. I felt a change in my arms and legs and looked in surprise to see that I had morphed all the way into a saltwater crocodile. It always took a certain amount of control to morph different parts but my anger had pushed my transformation to the brink, and over it. I jumped toward Monty who was now beginning to look nervous. His horns were no match for my now 14 foot body and rock hard scales. We were nearing the docks and had left the main battle. He backed up onto a dock and glanced around. He was trapped. I moved in inexorably on until he was at the edge of the dock. This was the end. I was going to kill him. "Any last words?" I asked barring my teeth. "Yeah." he said, "See ya!" He turned and dived into the frothing waves. I roared and followed, the world turning to a darker shade of red. Monty was fast… but not fast enough.

(Angela POV)

The fight was nearing its end and the odds were in our favor. The opposing gang's numbers were ticking down until only a few were left. Felix was still battling in the sky knocking down anyone daring to oppose him. I searched for Jacob to see where he was. He was gone. Panic surged through me, as I looked frantically for Jacob. Suddenly the fight stopped. Monty was no longer in the alley. Suddenly without a leader the other gang was wavering. Felix snarled and fled to the night sky. The remaining others followed his lead running from the alley. We let them go. Monty was the real dangerous one. Carmen was no longer in the alley either. Aaron, Nikki, Sam, and I ventured out onto the dock areas. There we saw a huge crocodile facing Monty. Recognizing Carmen we watched in silence. At that moment Monty dove into the ocean trying to swim away. Carmen roared and dove in after him. He didn't stand a chance. Carmen closed in on him easily and gripped him in her jaws. She spun in the famous "Death Roll" like I'd seen crocodiles do on the Discovery Channel and Monty was lost in the turmoil of the waves. The next I saw of Monty was a bloodied mass of dark fur being carried out to sea. Carmen came out in human form soaked through and shivering. Aaron was the first to speak, "Boy, do I feel bad for the first fisherman to see _that_ floating beside his boat." Carmen cracked a smile and we all headed back home.


	14. Chapter 19 Home THIS IS THE END!

This is the last chapter! I know this is short but it _is_ the end. I hope this story was a good one and I hope to get some more ideas for the Twilight fanfic I plan to write. Sigh. I loved writing this story but 'tis the end. Hope you liked it!

Disclaimer: YES THIS IS THE LAST TIME I HAVE TO WRITE THIS! And I shall do so in small letters- I do not own +Anima.

Chapter 19 (Home)

I held my breath as I knocked on the door of my house. I clutched at Aaron's hand nervously as my mother came to the door. We were back in our suburbs and left our Chicago home to Lucas and the other new +Anima. Everyone else was back at the ramshackle house that they had stayed in before Chicago. Amber attended to Taylor's wounds and wouldn't leave him alone for a second, but I think that's not just because of his cuts. Aaron and I were finally going home. Mom opened the door to see both her missing daughter and her long-lost son standing in the doorway. She stood stock-still and gaped first at me and then to Aaron, recognition dawning on her. She choked back a sob and her eyes glistened with tears of joy. She finally found words and said softly "You're home." Then she burst into hysterical sobs and Dad came from the living room into the foyer. When he saw us his eyes widened and a smile broke out across his face. He gathered both of us into a hug and Mom continued to cry tears of happiness. After her sobs had finally died down the questions came. We both decided to tell the whole story, starting with Aaron's disappearance and ending with the alley fight. When we mentioned the fighting and my kidnapping Mom cried silent tears of concern but Dad smiled proudly at my escape and Aaron's bravery. When it came to explaining +Anima they took it quite well. "As long as we have you back I couldn't care less about what you've become." said Mom softly, embracing us warmly. Dad led Aaron to his old room while I wandered into mine. I could see the window where Amber came in and I sifted through my closet absentmindedly. My mind was on Jacob. The last time I saw him was before the fight. A thousand worried thoughts flashed through my mind. Was he killed? Did he escape? Does he know where I am? Is he okay? Troubled, I walked back downstairs and out onto the porch. I sat on the rocking chair at the front and basked in the sunlight. Suddenly bear paws covered my eyes. "Guess who?" said Jacob. I laughed merrily and Jacob gathered me in his arms. "You lovebirds done?" said Nikki. Everyone was here. Nikki and Sam smiling, Amber supporting Taylor although he could stand on his own, and Carmen and Aaron on my other side. The sun immersed the world in golden light. This was Home.

THE END


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